Leach is an ex-Republican National Committee finance chair and was a member of President Bush’s “Team 100” fundraising elite. He complained to President Bush in ’92 that California growers needed a big subsidized gulp of Central Valley water. When they got it just 10 days later, Common Cause complained that this big donor’s receipt of a special perk created an appearance of impropriety. Ex-Gov. Pete Wilson appointed this farming, timber and investment tycoon as a University of California Regent; Leach helped Wilson raise $9.5 million for his re-election. As chair of the Regents in ’95, Leach led a majority of the board in voting to end affirmative action in the UC system.